Use adjustments for creative edits

1. Create a blank file

Create a new document. Go to File>New (Cmd/Ctrl+N) and name your project Animal Race. Now set the Width to 460mm, Height to 190mm and Resolution to 300ppi. Confirm this by clicking OK.

2. Make the background

Go to File>Place and add a running track to the image. Resize to approximately 120% and hit Return/Enter. Now it is time to create a mask. Grab the Pen tool (P) and draw a path around the track. On the Option bar click Make: Selection, then click OK. Now go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection.

8. Complete the background

Finish off the background by adding a stand. Adjust the Levels. Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer> Levels. Check ‘Use previous layer to create clipping mask’ and hit OK. Set Input Levels to 10, 1.40 and 255. Add a layer mask and hide the hard edges to blend the images.

9. Place the elephant

Add the elephant on top of the layer stack and hit Return/Enter. Zoom in and grab the Pen tool (P). Draw a path around the elephant. On the Option bar click Make: Selection. Set Feather Radius to 1 pixels and click OK. Now go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection.

10. Apply the layer mask

First go to Layer>Rasterize>Layer. Now duplicate the (Cmd/Ctrl+J), then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Apply. Hide the Elephant layer by clicking on the ‘eye’ icon in the Layers palette. In the next step we’ll create some distortions to add a sense of motion to the elephant.

11. Use the Puppet Warp tool

Now go to Edit>Puppet Warp. Add a few pins, the first one going next to the eye, the second going in the centre of the trunk, and the third going on the tip. Now drag down the pin located on the tip to straighten the trunk.

12. Make more distortions

Add more pins. Add three pins on the back leg, three on the front-right leg, one under the ear, and another on the front-left leg. Drag the pins, raising the legs to give the impression that the elephant is running. Now hit Return/Enter.

14. Adjust brightness and contrast

Let’s adjust the brightness and contrast. Click on the ‘Elephant copy layer’, then go to Layer>New Adjustment layer>Brightness/Contrast. Check ‘Use previous layer to create clipping mask’ and hit OK. Set the Brightness to 30 and the Contrast to -10.

15. Place the tag number

Go to File>Place ‘Tag number.png’. Resize it and hit Return/Enter. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+G to clip the layer. Now go to Edit>Transform>Warp. Drag the handles to re-shape the image. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Bevel and Emboss. Adjust the settings to create a subtle 3D effect.

16. Add some dust

Find a dust brush online. Create a new layer (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+N) and name it Brushes. Grab the Brush tool (B). Hit F5 and select the brushes to add the dust. Pick a light or dark colour, similar to the track colour.

17. Place the zebra

Find a zebra image and add it to the project. Grab the Pen tool (P) and create a path around the zebra. Click Make: Selection. Set Feather Radius to 0.5 pixels and click OK. Now add the layer mask. Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection.

19. Add shadows

Repeat step 13 to create the shadow, but now set the layer’s Opacity to 30%. Add a layer mask (Layer>Layer Mask> Reveal All). Hide the zebra’s shadows over the elephant paws. Now add the tag number as you did in step 15 and the dust brushes as in step 16.

20. Place the other animals

Place the other animals using the steps you’ve just learned. Add shadows and masks, and make the adjustments. Each image is unique, so experiment with different settings until you’re happy with the results.

21. Sharpen the image

Click on the top layer of the layer stack, then hit Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+E to create a snapshot. Now duplicate the image and change the blend mode for the layer to Overlay. Go to Filter>Other>High Pass. Set the Radius to 5 pixels and click OK.

22. Merge the layers

Hold Shift and click over the Snapshot layer and the Snapshot copy. Now click Cmd/Ctrl+E to merge the layers. Name it Final. Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer> Vibrance. Check ‘Use previous layer to create clipping mask’ and hit OK. Set Vibrance: -30 and Saturation: +70.